Tool for applying fasteners to fruit-basket tops



E. M. SEIFERT TOOL FOR APPLYING FASTENERS T0 FRUIT BASKET TOPS Sept; 27,1921. 1,643,612

Filed Dec. 2,192 2 Sheets-Shea. 1

: Sept. 27, 1921.

E. M. SEIFERT TOOL FOR APPLYING FASTENERS T0 FRUIT BASKET TOPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 1926 Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

EDWARD M. SEIFERT, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY.

TOOL FOR APPLYING FASTENERS T FRUIT-BASKET TOPS.

Application filed December 2, 1926.

* will hold the prong at the upper end of the fastening device into the rim and at the same time clinch and bend up the lower end of the fastening device and bring it into engagement with the lower end of the rim. v

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective vlew of the upper end of-afruit basket with a top applied thereto and my top fasteners applied, the figure also showing my improved tool in use;

Fig.- 2 is a perspective view of the preferred form of my fastener applying tool;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the fasteners before application;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the top of the basket and the rim thereof showing the manner in which the tool is used for attaching the fastener to the rim and top;

' Fig. 5 is a like view to Figure 4 but showing the position of the tool when the fastener has been clinched;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the tool shown in Figure 4, the top of the basket being in section;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of fastener applying tool.

Referring to these drawings 10 designates an ordinary fruit basket of circular form and 11 designates the outside upper hoop thereof. The top of the basket or cover comprises a circular rim 12 of the same diameter as the hoop 11 and adapted to rest on top of the same and a series of more or less radially disposed slats 13 mounted upon the rim 12. These slats extend entirely across the rim and one of these slats is illustrated as extending at its end through metallic handle yokes 14, these yokes engaging the hoop 11. Without any other fastening devices the means for holding the cover or top in place upon the basket consisting of the handle yokes 14: is objected to by rail-' tions.

Serial No. 152,273.

road companies and it is requisite that the rim 12 be held to the hoop 11 by additional means. To this end I provide the fasteners shown in Figure 3. Each fastener consists of a strip of metal 15 angularly bent at its upper end as at 16 and then bent straight downward as at 17 so as toextend over the top of the rim as shown in Figure 4 and extend downward upon the inside face thereof. This portion 16 is cut away to provide a prong 18 which, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4. is forced. into the upper edge of the rim 12 when this fastener is applied. The lower end of the fastener is initially bent downward at an obtuse angle as at 19, see

Figure 4, but When this fastener is applied as shown in Figure 5, this flange 19 bent fiat against the under edge face of the hoop 11 and then bent sharply upward upon the hoop 11, as shown in Figure 5.

For the purpose of applying these fasteners I provide a tool shown in Figure 2, and in a slightly modified form in Figure 7. Referring to the construction shown in Fig ure 2 it will be seen that the tool comprises I a body 20 having. a fiat inner face which body at its lower end is bifurcated as at 21. On each side of the bifurcation 21 the body is provided with the outwardly extending lugs 22, the endsof which are rounded, and the opposite face of the body is provided with the outwardly extending beads 23. The upper end of the body has a head 24 which extends at right angles to the inner face of the body but has a length greater than the width of the body so as to extend out beyond the side edges of the body in opposite direc- This head at its middle is formed with a thickened portion 25 and with a downwardly extending lug or flange 26 which is somewhat tapered.

Disposed in' the notch or bifurcation 21 is the lug or bead 27 of a lever 28 and a pintle 29 passes through the beads 2% and through the bead 27 and thus hinges or pivots the lever upon the body. The extremity of the lever adjacent the bead 27 is formed with a concavely curved bill 30 extending through approximately a quarter circle. The lever 28 is straightand flat upon its inside face and at its u per end is formed with an aperture where y it may be supported from a hook.

In Figure 7 I have illustrated a fastener applying tool of the same character as in Figure ,2 and which differs from the construction shown in Figure 2 merely in the fact that the flange 26 is omitted though the head 24 is provided with the thickened portion 25. Inasmuch as otherwise than this the construction shown in Figure 7 is the same as that shown in Figure 2, 1 have used the same reference characters.

The lugs 22 which are illustrated in both forms of my device perform three functions. Primarily they act as guides for the fastener, which fastener is in the form of a thin metal strip, and act :to prevent any lateral movement or flexing of the fastener when strain is applied thereto to bend it and further these laterally projecting lugs act to resist any tWiStiIlfl strain on the lever when the lever is applyi g pressure to the fastener. Their third function is to hold the rim of the cover tight to the rim of the basket until the fastener has been secured in position. The baskets are packed so full that the cover or top will not fit down so that the hoop llm-eets the rim 12 unless the person who puts on the cover or top exerts considerable pressure on the top so tl at the rim 12 and the hoop 11 exactly meet. The lugs 22 in conjunction with the head 2ft hold the hoop 11 and the rim 12 together while the fastener Figure 3 is being applied, therebyeliminating any strain or tension on the fastener shown in Figure 3 until the fas tener is secured and the tool is removed.

In theuse of this device, the cover or top is placed upon the basket 10 with the rim 12 in alignment with the hoop 11. The yokes 14 are then applied and clinched. Then the fastening devices are applied, as shown in Figure 1. The hooked upper end of the'fast-ening device is applied over the rim 12 and forced downward by thepressure of the finger or thumb so as-to' force the prong 18 into the soft wood of which the rim 12 is made. Then my fastener applying tool is used, as shown in Figures 41 and 5, by placing: the head 24 upon the top.

of the fastener and then turning down the handle which acts to bend the flange or portion 19 inward againstthe lower edge of the hoop 11 and then the extremity of the bill forces the extremity of the portion 19 upward into the space between the hoop 11 and the wall of the basket, as shown in Figure 5, thus clinching the fastener in place. This tool is very expeditious in its actionandby its use fastening devices may he readilyput in place. it will be. noted from Figure l) that the. lateral portions of the;head-2 1reet upon the late-rally adjacent slats and-that thethickened portion 25,-will rest flat down against the head of'the fas ten-er. It will also be seen that when the tool. has;:been;put. inmplace, as shown in *Figure 5, that the lugs 22 will extend beneath and Operated in the same manner the lower edge of the hoop 11 so that a firm bearing will be secured for the tool both upon the hoop and upon the rim.

It will be seen from Figure 1 that the extremities of head 2 extend over the ends of the slats 13, thus eliminating any strain or tensionon the staple fasteners which secure the slats 13 to the rim 12 while the fastener shown in Figure '3 is being applied. If the extremities of the head 24 did not perform this function, the pressure necessary to pull down the rim 12 onto'the hoop 11 would pull therim 12 and theslats 13 apart.

As beforestated, the railroad companies object to the attachment {of the cover on the top of the basket merely by means of the staple-like handles '14 and with the ends of one long slat 13 extending through these handle yolnes 14 and the railroad companies require that the rim 12 shall be held to the hoop 11 by additional means which will se curely hold the cover in place when subjected tot-he handling necessary in loading and unloading-baskets. To this end it is necessary to apply the fastening members 15 and my tool for this purpose is not only very simple and cheap to manufacture but it as sures the expeditious application of the fasteners. While I have illustratedtwoforms of this tool, I do not wish to be limited to the details of these forms except as embodied in. the appended claims.

I claim.:

1. A tool for applying basketcovertop fasteners, the fasteners being substantially L- shaped and having. work penetratingprongs, comprisinga body having. a head at its up per end adapted to en tage withthe rim of a basket top, a lever pivotally' mounted upon the lower end of thebody and having a hook -shaped bill which when the lever is turned down will act to force the lower end of the fastener upward against the lower edge face of the basket hoop and the extremity of said portion upward between the basket hoop'and the top of the basket.

2. A tool for applying basket cover. top fasteners, the fasteners being substantially l..- shaped and having work penetrating prongs, comprising a body formed at its upper end with ahead extending outward from the body. at rightangles thereto, the head be ing formed upon-its e'dge with a downwarollyextending lug, the lower end of the body being bifurcated, and a lever pivoted adjacent one end in said bifurcation, the short end of thelever being formed with a hookshaped bill adapted as the lever is turned from a vertical position to ahoriZont-al position to --eng age the lower end; of the; fastener, bend it upward against the bottom-edge of the basket 1100pand 3 then force; thev eXt-remi ty of said turned up portion upward against the inside face of the basket. hoop.

3. A. tool for applying basket cover top fasteners, the fasteners being substantially L- shaped and having; work penetrating prongs, comprising a body having a head at its upper end extending at right angles to the body and projecting laterally beyond the body in both directions, the free edge of said head having a downwardly projecting lug, the head being adapted to overlie the upper edge of the cover rim, the lower end of the body being bifurcated, and a lever pivoted adjacent its lower end in said bifurcation, the lever having a bill constituting the extremity of its short end, said bill being concavely curved and adapted when the lever is turned into a horizontal position to engage the lower end of the fastener and bend it upward against the lower edge of the basket hoop and then bend the extremity of said portion upward against the inside of the rim. v

4. A tool for applying basket cover top fasteners, the fasteners being substantially L- shaped and having work penetrating prongs, comprising a body having a head at its upper end, the head beinglaterally extended on each side of the body and adapted to rest flat upon the upper end of a fastener and upon the rim of a basket cover, the lower end of the body being bifurcated and formed with inwardly projecting lugs on each side of the bifurcation and with outwardly projecting beads, a lever having a bead formed near one end and pivoted between the beads on the body, this end of the lever being formed with a downwardly and inwardly curved hook-shaped bill which when the lever is shifted from a vertical to a hori zontal position will act to bend the lower end of the fastener upward against the bottom edge of the basket hoop and the extremity of said bent portion upward and in ward against the inner face of the basket hoop.

5. A tool for applying basket cover top fasteners the fasteners being substantially L- shaped and having work penetrating prongs, comprising a body having a head projecting out-ward therefrom in a plane at right angles thereto and extending laterally on each side beyond the body and adapted to rest upon the top of a fastener and the cover, the lower end of the body being bifurcated and formed with inwardly projecting lugs'on each side of the bifurcation adapted to engage beneath the lower'edge of the basket hoop, and a lever pivoted in said bifurcation and formed at its extremity adjacent the body with a curved bill adapted to operate in said bifurcation and adapted when the lever is turned from a vertical to a horizontal position to engage the lower end of a fastener, bend it upward against the lower edge of the hoop and bend the extremity of the fastener upward against the inner face of the hoop.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWARD M. SEIFERT. 

